A telecommunications switch/server is used to route message traffic over a network. Conventionally, it comprises a chassis or housing containing a single printed circuit motherboard or back plane which supports and interconnects a multiplicity of electrical components that enable the switch to perform its functions, e.g. processors, memories, line interface units, etc. The chassis usually also includes a front panel to which is mounted various switches, indicators and displays that enable one to control and monitor the operation of the switch/server. Electrical connections to and from the switch are made by way of a multiplicity of data and telephony ports mounted in a rear wall of the chassis. Cables plugged into ports at the rear of the chassis connect the switch to outside lines and to other units comprising the overall telecommunications system. Indeed, a typical switch may have forty or more cables plugged into the rear of the chassis.
A typical switch/server of the type of which we are concerned here is normally mounted in a cabinet or rack along with similar switches and other equipment making up the telecommunications system. After positioning each switch in the cabinet or rack, the switch chassis is fastened in place and the many cables are plugged into the ports at the rear of the switch.
The prior switches of this type are disadvantaged in that if the switch fails for one reason or another, the entire switch chassis has to be unfastened and removed from its cabinet or rack so that the switch can be inspected and repaired or replaced. In order to do this, however, all of the many cables at the end of rear of the switch must be disconnected from the switch. Since the rear of the cabinet or rack containing the switch is often in a difficult-to-access location, this can be a tedious and time-consuming task. This is particularly so if the defective switch is being replaced in the field by a new switch to which the cables must be connected in the proper configuration. In other words, unless special care is taken during such replacement, there is a likelihood that one or more cables will be plugged into the wrong port at the rear of the new switch, all of which increases the down time of the system operations that rely on the switch.